FACTORY TOUR
Page 1 of 6 (click images to enlarge)
 |
As with most manufacturing, things start at the drawing board...literally. Shirley Maule is the Senior Design Drafter, and produces detailed drawings of all the aircraft components. |
 |
Here, you can see a section at the top of the fuselage where the wings are mounted. This is a critical, high-stress area requiring proper weld penetration and strength. |
 |
Construction begins here in the Weld Shop, where aircraft welders construct the tubular 4130 Chromolly steel fuselage in special welding jig fixtures. The tubing sections are cut to length and shape, clamped in the jig, and heliarc-welded to strict aircraft specifications. |
 |
The completed fuselage is then sent to another section of the plant where fuel lines and other hardware are installed. |
 |
Once the fuselage is assembled, it is specially prepared, and sent to a local powder-coating facility, where a durable coating is applied using a high-temperature electrostatic process for long-term corrosion resistance and durability. |
 |
Once the fuselage is prepped, special synthetic fabric called Ceconite is applied to it using a special bonding process. The fabric is heated to tighten it around the framework. Here, a worker is installing this fabric on a stabilizer... |
 |
Here is a frontal view of the completed fuselage after powder-coating. |
 |
Linda Suber is installing fabric onto a fuselage section. This process is painstaking, and requires much handwork. |